Facts about Nelson Mandela Nelson Mandela was born

Facts about Nelson Mandela • Nelson Mandela was born in South Africa on 18 th July 1918. • He went to prison for 27 years for fighting against the government and their unfair treatment of black people. • Four years after being released from prison, Mandela became the first black president of South Africa. • He died on 5 th December 2013. • Mandela was and is a worldwide hero.

Growing Up Mandela was born in the village of Mvezo and was a member of the Madiba clan. His father called him Rolihlahla which means ‘troublemaker’! However, when he went to school, his teacher gave him the name Nelson because she could not pronounce his African name. After school, Mandela went to university where he studied law and eventually, he became a lawyer in 1942.

Problems in South Africa Most South African people are black but there also many white people who live there too. White and black people spent years fighting over land. When Mandela was growing up, black people had little say in how South Africa was run and most of them worked as servants or in factories and coal mines.

Problems in South Africa In 1948, the South African government made new laws to keep white people and black people apart. This new system was called the apartheid. A white person and a black person could not marry, they could not share a table in a restaurant or even sit together on a bus! Black children and white children even went to separate schools.

The African National Congress In 1944, Nelson Mandela joined the ANC. The ANC wanted black South Africans to have the same rights as white South Africans. They protested against the government but this was dangerous. In 1956, Mandela and 155 other people were arrested and Mandela went to prison for 5 years.

Continuing Problems Violence between white and black people grew and the South African government blamed Nelson Mandela and the ANC for causing it. In 1962, Mandela was arrested again and was given a life sentence. He spent the next 18 years in Robben Island prison before being moved to a different prison for another 9 years.

Free Nelson Mandela! Mandela became the most famous prisoner in the whole world. People around the world were calling ‘Free Nelson Mandela!’ In 1990, South Africa’s president FW de Klerk finally set Nelson Mandela free. Mandela and Klerk agreed there was to be no more fighting. Mandela called to all South African to live together in peace.

Mandela as President In 1993, Mandela was awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize. In the 1994 elections, all black people were allowed to vote for the first time. As a result, Nelson Mandela became the first black president in South Africa!

The Rainbow Nation Archbishop Desmond Tutu (another famous South African) and Nelson Mandela called South Africa a ‘rainbow nation’ because people of all races and skin colours were working together.

The Death of a Hero Nelson Mandela died at the age of 95 and people around the world mourned. Photo courtesy of (Darren Glanville@wikimedia. com) - granted under creative commons licence - attribution